


Chips and Blocks

by Redrikki



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-10 00:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2004330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lin called Toph 'Chif' for years before some well-meaning busybody taught her to say 'Mom' instead.  Toph isn't sure what kind of mom she is, but she knows which kind she doesn't want to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chips and Blocks

Lin grows up in Toph’s office. Her cradle is an empty filing cabinet drawer lined with towels. She cuts her teeth on a pair of handcuffs and learns to walk lurching between desks in the bullpen. Toph could have dumped her on nannies like her parents had, or sent her to Gaoling like they wanted her to do, but she likes the feel of Lin’s little heartbeat while she works. Besides, it’s not like Toph doesn’t have a small army of eager babysitters sitting around the station whenever work gets in the way of playing mom.

Work gets in the way a lot. Some days it feels like Toph is missing Lin’s whole childhood, which is weird considering she’s constantly underfoot. Lin scurries around the station fetching files and spilling cups of tea. If no one stops her, she answers every phone with a piping “Public City Polis, Chif’s office.” (She called Toph ‘Chif’ for years before some well-meaning busybody taught her to say ‘Mom’ instead.)

By the time Katara successfully nags Toph into enrolling her in school, Lin is beginning to metalbend. She can already read too, at least all the important words like larceny, arson and murder. She comes to the station right after school and dutifully does her homework before buying them both dinner from the noodle cart down the street. At the end of each shift, Toph fishes her daughter out from under her desk and carries her home.

Toph is pregnant with her second child when she finally has time to take Lin to see her grandparents in Goaling. Lin stands in front of her grandmother with her hands on her hips and her chest thrust out to show off the badge one of the men made her. “Look grandma, I’m the police,” she announces proudly.

Mom just sighs. “She’s just like you,” she says with that hint of disappointment that has never quite left her voice no matter how much Toph has accomplished.

Toph shakes her head. Lin is nothing like her. When Toph was her age, she was sneaking out ever other day to go study earthbending with badger-moles. Lin, on the other hand, is so well behaved it’s scary. When she plays cops and triads, she insists on filing paperwork for each arrest. Toph doesn’t know he she managed to crush her kid’s spirit and raise such a good little soldier. She rests her hand over the heartbeat growing inside her and vows that, this time, she’ll do better.


End file.
